HOSPiTAL
by DoomNightAt12
Summary: Robin is losing his mind, and Red X isn't helping. Maybe they're just too alike, birds of a feather they say.
1. Chapter 1

Robin is losing his mind, and Red X isn't helping. Maybe they're just too alike, birds of a feather they say.

* * *

_This feeling never leaves you alone,__  
__you pull the trigger on your own._

Another long night, another unsuccessful heist, Red X was starting to believe that the Teen Titans were more trouble to him than worth.  
The young thief sat down on the worn couch in his musty old hotel room, and with an exasperated sigh he knew he was sorely out of pocket, the Xenothium in his suit decaying quicker than he could get the money to replace it. He was getting desperate; at this rate he was ready to start stealing candy from babies.

Or maybe something similar.

He hoisted himself off the seat, pushing through the front door he never usually left through when suited up. He took the stairs two at a time, swiftly sliding into the rundown lobby where a lone attendant sat. The young brunette sat idly, not noticing the other occupant in the room until he moved up to stand in front of her. When she finally lifted her eyes from her magazine she quirked an eyebrow at the teen, leaving Red X to stare with a deadpan expression before raising his brow in a similar manner.

"Oh _come _on, don't look at me like that. Do you know what kind of night I've had?!" He growled and waved his hands. "I'm down on my luck, like, SERIOUSLY down. So if you don't mind sweetie, hand over all the cash you have right there and I promise not to mess with your pretty face and nails."

The girl's expression didn't change as her hand calmly moved to the other side of the table. Her manicured nails tapped at the security button, immediately sending a call to the police. X had stood motionlessly as she did so. He then began to laugh, and laugh, and laugh. He laughed until the police came, and dragged his shaking body away.

_You're hiding in your safe place,__  
__Hiding with your eyes shut tightly all the way to the hospital._

"Guys, is this really necessary? I mean _really?_"

The Titans leader sat firmly wedged between Raven and beast Boy, neither of whom wanted to make eye contact. Starfire sat in the passenger's seat, looking sadly out the window, while Cyborg drove the T-Car down the long stretch of road.

"Look man it's for your own good. We've all had a long talk and we've all agreed to this." Cy gave a sad smile while looking at his friend through the rear vision mirror.

Over the past month each of the Titans had noticed their leader becoming more and more unpredictable. The amount of times that he would lash out angrily had grown, and his fighting had grown wild, unpredictable and excessive in violence. After coming together the four titans agreed that Robin should seek help. Cyborg and Raven had found a place on the outskirts of Jump offering high standards of care with expert physiatrists, and together they had all tricked the Boy Wonder into the car, ready to give him a week away from the crime fighting world.

"But I'm perfectly fine!"

_Now will you ever rest your head?_  
_You end up feeling mostly dead._

"_Oh yes, wonderful."_ Red X wasn't exactly sure of his location, but by the sound (and smell) of things he was in a crazy house; full of crazies. And now he was one of them. He suddenly wanted to laugh again, but that would just confirm his place of situation. So instead he studied the tiled halls he was pushed along, strapped to a chair with thick leather bounds. He was being taken to a holding cell he assumed. They had only removed his utility belt so far but honestly he wasn't in the mood to fight back; they'd probably feed him better here anyway.

The tiles continued along the wall into the cell. As the bars closed shut two armoured guards walked up to him, one releasing the bounds and the other removing his gloves, boots and lastly (he could feel the guards joy) his mask. He stared at them blankly as they left the cell.

Yes how big they must feel for unmasking a mad thief. He was sure the sight of his messy black hair and plain blue eyes must make their blood run with fear. Ha.

He rubbed at his wrists, standing from the hard backed chair, and took note of hi room. A bed ran along the wall to his left, at its foot a pair of grey pants, a white shirt and some socks. In the right hand corner was a wall mounted toilet and sink, both with rounded edges. Everything was either an off white or grey.

"How very original." He chuckled to himself as he lay down on the bed, not bothering to change. What was the point? If he was going to say, he wanted to say as himself.

_Pretending you're the last one,_  
_Hiding with your eyes shut tight on the way to the hospital._

He didn't like it. He didn't like it at all. The plain walls, the strict routine, the constant "How are you feeling today?", if he wasn't mad already he was sure all this would drive him to insanity.

Starfire had held onto his arm tightly as his stay at the facility was confirmed. She was still refusing to meet his eyes, but as the other Titans left he swore he could see tears in her eyes. He was made to give up his utility belt, gloves, boots and (after much protest, and a bit of kicking about) his mask. Even when a young blond nurse reassured him everything was confidential and he would get his stuff back at the end of his stay, he wasn't going to pretend to be happy about the position he was in.

They'd given him a plush cream room that overlooked the never ending lawn, and a standard grey and white outfit that just added to the bleak world he had entered. He didn't want to be there. No matter how many times they asked, no matter how many times they questioned he was not going to just give in to everyone claims he was unstable. He just needed to leave this place, go very far away from it, get back to his work…Damn! He just needed to punch something!

He curled up on his overly plush bed; sure he could suffocate himself in it if he tried. After clawing at the pillow he stared at his bare hands, before poking at his uncovered eyes. He couldn't remember the last time he had felt so exposed, so open to judgment.

"_Just one week. I can last it. Just one week."_ He closed his eyes and tried to fall asleep.

_Before I cross my heart and hope to die at all,_  
_Take off my mask and leave the lies to the liars._

After a day of simple psych tests he had been classified a 'Low Risk' subject and shoved in a room with unstable lowlife criminals, most likely caught pushing over the elderly or stealing make-up. The only reason most of them were probably there was because their parents had begged to police to take their 'precious angels' to be checked out. Shit, he wanted to laugh again.

Gender segregated by nothing but a simple line on the floor the room held eight bunk beds, totalling thirteen young, miserable looking wastes of air, none of whom had paid any attention to his entry. It was rather depressing being sent back to the status of nobody by just removing a mask, and it wasn't like people would believe him if he walked around saying "_Hey guys! Did you know I'm Red X? True story." _So he kept his head down like the rest of them and took upper bunk-bed at the back of the room, a high perch favoured due to its similarities to the roof tops he often roamed, with a perfect vantage point to keep watch of everyone. He stayed in that spot quite placidly, until a nurse came in and started rounding them up into groups.

He had been watching a black haired girl (or was it a guy? Red wasn't about to go ask) take out every insult in the book on a rather snotty looking blond boy when the nurse approached his bed. He gave her a warning glare, but she remained blissfully ignorant as she chimed out the same instruction she had given to the others.

"Time for group talk! Please go find your name on the wall, then stand with the rest of the group. You will be led to your allocated rooms thereafter."

Without a second wasted she moved on to the next set of beds, and all Red could think of was; "_Should have seen this coming."_

xXxXxXx

Robin impatiently tapped his foot, his arms firmly folded across his chest to ward off anyone who would even think of talking to him. He hadn't wanted to do this, but it was plain to see that any disagreement would simply land him more time in this place.

Seated in a circle, flanked by a number of other patients of the same age group he counted the seconds on the clock. _5…4…3…2…1…exactly half an hour to go._

He turned to glare at the door as it carefully clicked open, allowing a number of teens to filter in and fill the remaining chairs. He tried to look as uninviting as possible, but that didn't stop a boy of similar stature to him from relaxing in the wooden chair to his right. The two sized each other up before locking both sets of their blue eyes. Robin could have sworn he was looking in a mirror; the only real difference was a barely noticeable light patch of hair on the others fringe, and the self-absorbed grin they smugly wore. Snarling he quickly turned away, resuming his clock watch. Finally the head nurse spoke up.

"Alright, since this our first time all together why don't we go around the circle and say our names and something we like." She gestured to her left, "how about you go first?"

The blond boy she eyed looked very nervous as he looked around the group.

"I'm Nathaniel Edwards. I like uh…word games."

His eyes went back to the ground as the nurse clapped. "Very good! Next?"

A black haired girl spoke up with a bored tone. "I'm Mel Sireno. I like cheese." She looked towards Robin's doppelgänger, who chuckled as he shifted in his seat.

"Heh, oh my I seem to have forgotten my name. You know what you guys can just call me Red. As for what I like, I'd have to say hot babes." He smiled on that last note.

The boy wonder's eyes widened as he put two and two together. Of course Red X would have to be of similar build with the suit designed directly from Robin's person use, and after turning up his glare a few notches he wondered if that was how he'd stolen the villainous identity, by simply pretending to be him to get into the tower.

Red didn't stop smiling at him, and finally Robin realised everyone was looking at him expectantly.

"Ugh, I'm…" Now he was caught in the headlights. Reveal Robin and let a bunch of strangers (and Red X) know the heroes true face and the fact he was in a mental hospital, or reveal teen Grayson and let a bunch of strangers (and the still smiling Red) know that billionaire Wayne's ward had apparently snapped. He wouldn't let the thief hold it against him when he got out.

"I'm Dick and I like… god this is dumb…I don't know. Motorcycles?" His head snapped to the right as Red snickered at him, and without the nurse speaking up he would have most likely used his fist to remove the others smile.

"Now now, we will all respect each other here. Next please?"

The rest of the circle went about stating their names, the reluctant mumbles taking the time down to only 20 minutes left. The nurse seemed pleased with everyone, and moved on the next part.

"Okay, now that we know each-others name, let's go a bit further. Since you seem the chattiest of the group, why don't you tell us about why you are here Red?" She pulled the most reassuring smile she could.

And right on queue Red X smiled back. "Of course Miss."

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

With pursed lips Red knew the sad little crowd was putty in his hands. Amongst strangers he could be anyone who could have done anything, but in the end holding a lie was just too much effort, and life as Red X was the most interesting one he could think of. He could see his look-a-like had taken interest in hearing him speak, so why not just tell his pathetic story.

"You see, I was down on my luck. I had been trying to steal something because well, that's my job, but then that pesky hero team showed up and took me down." He remember it well, how even after scaring him away from his heist the teams leader had pursued him across the roofs, landing a number of unnecessary and brut attacks. For some reason the teen next to him had gained a dark grin, probably relishing the thought of him being taken down.

"So I make my way home and think to myself 'I need some quick easy cash for dinner' so I head down stairs and ask this cute girl for some cash. Bitch calls the cops on me, and they drag my ass here after I start laughing at them. The end."

He nodded, satisfied at his tale. _'Story of my life it seems.' _Now it was his doppelgängers turn to snicker. He had completion it seemed.

One by one the nurse picked out patients to speak, each telling similar stories of petty crimes or misbehaviour at school. Though when it came to the boy to his left silence reigned. Finally when their time was up they were ushered from the room, the criminal group taken by guards back to their room, and the rest following the nurse down another hall. Red turned his head to watch his look-a-like leave, and the two shared smiles of content and distaste.


	2. Chapter 2

_It never used to hurt before, it isn't funny anymore._  
_ Feeling so alone now funny how you wish some way that you could die at the hospital._

Robin clicked his tongue at his art work in the dirt, deformed scribbles of various villains he had faced; cinderblock, control freak, Johnny Rancid, Slade, _Red X._ Discarding the stick he brought his fist back and slammed it into the loose soil, before kicking wildly at the remaining lines. He wasn't overly sure of what he was doing, but with the amount of frustration he had built up over the past few days made him feel like a time bomb. The white building looming behind him didn't help. At all.

He'd been lounging on the green lawn that he usually watched from his cell of a bedroom. Luckily no one else was about, giving him a much needed escape from the limited world as he stared at the clouded blue sky.

_'Maybe it'll rain later. Weather feels too cheery for my mood right now.' _ He sighed, trying to think of something else to do to vent the build-up in his chest.

The answer came quicker that he'd expected, when he spotted a guard leading the criminal group to the lawn. Amongst them he saw his target, the black haired thief laughing at a blond boy being harassed. He waited on his patch, trying not to be obvious in his staring as he waited for him to come closer. He may have come out of their last fight relatively unscathed, but not this time. The other titans weren't there to hold him back. The villain would get what he deserved.

xXxXxXxXxX

Red was almost about to admit to enjoying his stay. Food was fine, beds were fairly comfy, entertainment was plenty, what more could he ask for? Of course the true answer was mingling at the back of his mind; the thrill of the chase. He knew fleeing the law and fighting the titans was all like a big game to him, a constant challenge of cat and mouse. There was no chance for that locked away in the facility.

After a number of days they had been given permission to go outside for exactly one hour, something like a weekly dose of sunlight, but Red could tell the clouds were rolling in fast. He'd been staring at a wall to long, and he wasn't about to do the same to the sky, so once the group had stopped moving he scanned the lush lawn for some entertainment. He couldn't help but cast a wicked smile as he spotted his fun mere metres away, his look-a-like glancing ever so slightly at the group.

He walked off without a second thought, walking over until he was practically leaning over the other teen. From underneath the shadow the two eyes met, and Red X calmly greeted him.

"Hello Dickey, nice weather we're having."

He didn't have time to react as the others fist rose up to collide with his chin, sending him stumbling back. With the both of them on their feet the attack continued, Red having to quickly summon parries for each of the well trained hits aimed at his face. Clearly surprised at the ferocity of the unprovoked attack he stayed on the defensive, until jumping back forced his doppelgänger to charge forward. In the instant the others hair was swept back in a trademark style realisation dawned on Red, and his smile returned.

"Whoa wait! _Bird Boy?! _Jeeze I didn't think you were so keen as to follow me into this place."

He felt a bit more confident knowing who he was fighting, but the Boy Wonders attacks carried brute strength and little control from the martial artist.

"Or maybe they just thought you were as bad as me!" He went to laugh, but he didn't know that comparing him to villains really pushed him over the edge. A powerful kick landed in Red X's gut, causing him to double over and give an opening for another blow, a fist to the top of his head leaving him seeing stars. He dropped to his knees and rolled to the side to avoid another kick, and positioning himself on all fours he spear tackled the Titan. The two hit the ground, now with the literal upper hand Red brought his own fist down upon Robin. It connected, but not before an opposing fist preformed the same.

Rolling about on the grass, there was no skill involved in the fight, a test of endurance as blow after blow landed. The clouds had gathered and rain had started to fall on the two bloodied boys before the hospital guards managed to separate the two, dragging them screaming away in opposite directions.

_You're quiet on the car ride home, _  
_ you're waiting for your head to explode._

The blood dripped from his brow, slipping to the corner of his mouth as he panted. He wasn't done with him, not in the least, but the guards had quickly bound him and dragged him away. Robin didn't care what they did with him, as long as he eventually got another shot at that smug bastard. Taking his smile off was the most enjoyable thing he had done all week, but as his mind settled something else dawned on him. _He figured out who I was. _Great, now the thief not only knew his secret identity, but also the fact he was in the god forsaken facility on his own steam.

They'd taken him to a cell and strapped him down on a stiff bed, moving about with bandages and disinfectant. Arching his back he tested the strength of the restraints, before tugging at his arms and legs, whipping his head back and forth in an attempt to break free. Surely Red was still nearby; surely he could still leave him with a few more wounds. He struggled harder, with the strain causing him to growl in frustration. A pick on his arm snapped his head to attention, just to see a needle being pulled away, and leaving his eyes to become heavy.

_No, not yet. There's still time. _His struggles slowly faded, and finally he closed his eyes, welcoming a moment to relax.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Red was over tired, an obvious sign he'd been asleep for much longer than his normal 6 to 8 hours. But this wasn't surprising to him, because when he opened his eyes he found himself not on the lone bunk amongst lowlifes, but on an overly plush bed that had moulded to his form. Gingerly touching his forehead he felt the coarse wrap of fabric covering a now sealed wound.

'_All I had to do was get injured and they'd give me the five star treatment? Someone could have told me this earlier.' _He chuckled to himself, but regretted it immediately when a number of bruises made themselves know. He exhaled and focused on his breathing.

Through the window to his left he could see rain steadily turning the manicured lawn into a mud bath, a sign which he interpreted as him being out for around 12 hours, give or take. With that his thoughts went back to the fight, the equal completion between himself and the titans leader that had probably left them both in poor condition. Red didn't want to admit it, but the thirst for bloodshed in the other's eyes had scared him. The boy wonder, who had always been committed to keeping the city safe from violent acts, had committing one as though his life deepened on it. If word ever got out his image would be slandered, no one would trust the titans anymore.

He mulled over similar thoughts until a young blond nurse entered the room, carrying a tray of food. She smiled as he tried to sit up to retrieve the delicious looking meal, hunger radiating from his eyes.

"Good to see you awake, I assume you're feeling better?"

No way was he letting that food get away. "Sure am sweetie, thanks for bringing this in for me." And now for the best smile he could muster.

"That's good to hear Richard. And it's nice to see that you're being much more hospitable after your little brawl." She placed the tray on his lap, and smiled once more before leaving the room.

_'Richard?' _He shook his head. '_Must be a name they picked out for me.'_

It was time to dig in, the large piece of meat begging him to eat it, but the gears of his mind were finally working up to full ability. _Richard. Richy Richard Rich. Or sometimes shortened to…_

"Shit. They think that I'm…Shit!" Staring at his dinner, it finally made sense, and the laugh came back. It hurt, but he couldn't help himself. In between his fits of laughter he managed to take bits of his food, and finally satisfied with his fill he laid back in the bed, questioning how long he could hold the ruse…

xXxXxXxXxXxXxX

The rain hadn't let up anywhere around Jump City, and while the air was crisp & clean the mood it brought with it rivaled the gloom of Gotham. The silence in the T-Car was only subdued by the rhythmic pattern of the windscreen wipers. No Titan felt prepared for what they were about to encounter, whether their leader had improved, or fallen further to his instability. It was Beast Boy who tried to break the silence.

"So…tonight, do we want to go out for pizza? I mean… all of us together, if you think it's a good idea…"

He didn't sound too sure of himself, images of the Boy Wonder's manic face still fresh in all of their minds. But Starfire tried to put on a determine face.

"Yes. I believe going out for the pizza would be good."

No one else spoke until they reached the front entrance of the hospital, where they were greeted by the same nurse who had taken Robin in. Smiling as always she greeted the team and led them down the hallway. To the teens, her tone sounded promising.

"For the first few days he was very reluctant to do anything, and then there was an incident with a patient from the criminal ward, but once he returned to his room he was much more compliant. It seemed all he needed was a physical way to vent his feelings."

That didn't sound too believable, but as long as their friend was back to his old self, they were happy with any kind of treatment. When the nurse opened the door at the end of the hall, the gloom of the outside world that had settled on the heroes faded away, as their eyes fell upon the familiar uniform adorning their leader.

"ROBIN!" Starfire was on him in a second, latching on with a bone crushing hug. "Oh how we have missed you! It is just not the same with you not being at the tower!"

Finally she realised he was grunting in pain, and quickly released her grip. For a second fear struck her, thinking she had once again invoked his anger, but the worry vanished just as fast when he gave her a sheepish grin while rubbing his stomach.

"Sorry, still a bit sore from getting my ass handed to me."

This time all the titans smiled back, and moved to give him a group hug, avoiding his bruised abdomen.

"Glad to see you better dude."

"Yeah, you were getting as creepy as when you were hallucinating about Slade."

Raven looked at Beast Boy, knowing that Slade was always a touchy subject, but Robin seemed unfazed as he returned the hug. When the team finally let go, they all made their way back to the entrance, signing out and each taking a seat in the car.

Robin took the passenger's seat, but stuck to looking out the window as the happy chatter amongst the titans returned. Throughout the talk of which pizzas to get, he couldn't help but watch the building disappear into the rain, and quietly laugh as he thought of the one person left behind within.


	3. Chapter 3

_You're hiding in your safe place_  
_ Hiding with your eyes shut tightly all the way to the hospital_

He wasn't sure of how long he had spent tied down, but he sure was sick of it. His anger was back tenfold since he had woken the day after the fight, and the separation from the other patients meant he could only take it out on the staff that checked up on him twice a day. Finally they stopped asking, they just wanted him to stay still, and quiet.

_'But that's not what _I _want.' _He thought angrily.

He thrashed about once more, attempting to draw his arms to his chest and move his legs to the side. He'd stopped attempting to break the restraints when the guards where about, seeing as it only lead them to tighten the straps. He could feel that the bounds around his right ankle were the loosest, and as the acrobat he was, a few more minutes of wriggling was all he needed before he bent his leg and slipped his foot out of the strap. Without a moment wasted he used his now free limb to pry loose his other leg.

Done, all with perfect timing. With both legs free he could drag himself down the table, pulling his hands through the cuffs, finally giving him ample movement to remove the chest strap and roll off the table.

Seconds to spare. The guards walked past on their rounds, and on spotting him off the bed, carelessly threw open the door in hopes to re-detain him. Easy escape, their slow movement letting him somersault over the first and under the second, and after that it was a free run down the hall.

Unless, of course, the fifteen new guards the facility was training happened to be having a tour. That left 30 arms pinning him to the spot and dragging him, screaming, back to the cell.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

_Oh I don't feel okay. I don't feel alir- _

_AHAHAHAHAH._

_Oh my god, I don't know-_

_AAAAAAAAAAAAAH._

_xXxXxXxXxXxXxx_

_Before I close my eyes I'm gonna give it up_  
_ Take off my mask and leave the lies to the liars_

I heard them. Through the walls. They're planning on moving me. Transferring me to a place 'better suited to my needs'. But it's not my needs that are the problem. It's the criminals, they need to be taken down! The city needs me.

It'll be a prison facility they'll send me to. Perfect, imagine all the justice I could deliver in a place like that! The best inside mission, why hadn't he though of it before?

xXxXxXxXxXx

_Will you look them in the face?_  
_ Could you look me in the face?_

It was laughable, hilarious! He couldn't have through of a funnier thing if Beast boy had become a world renowned comedian! He wanted to burst out in fits of roaring laughter each time he looked at a member of the young hero team.

Not only had he perfectly taken over the role of the titans leader, but no one payed any mind to any of the quirks that could set him apart from the real thing. They all believed them to be side-effects of his temporary insanity. Even the boy wonder's love interest had taken to him, most likely since he was giving the alien girl more attention than 'Mr-Strictly-Business.'

He no longer knew what was real or what was a joke. Life as a hero was both enthralling and a pain.

And in the end it was just so funny he had to laugh.

...

...

...

...

...

..

.

_Three cheers you fooled them all!_  
_ Come on, hip hip hooray!_

The mixed sound of screaming and laughter bounced against the walls wildly, but only the two occupants could hear the maddening sound. No questions were asked, no accusations made, just the never ending sound suffocating within the confined space.

Blue eyes were locked as their black hair messed together, mouths gaping as air rapidly emptied from their lungs. To the average person it looked like a competition of who could last making their sound the longest, but no sane thoughts went into the war. They were doing it because they had nothing else against each other.

The once hero strapped to a chair, dressed in prison garb, with screaming his only weapon.

The once thief stood over him, wearing the memorable green, red and yellow ensemble, laughing to show who won after all this.

When the silence fell, insanity was the winner, forever frozen on their faces.

* * *

_AN: THE UNHAPPY END. YEAH. I HOPE U R DISAPOINT.  
seriously I've had bits written but I lost motivation to make anything meaningful from it. So yeah._


End file.
